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An interesting study on butts from the University of Oxford and Churchill Hospital in the United Kingdom has kicked quite a number of beliefs in the butt.

Study authors say that "increased gluteofemoral fat mass is independently associated with a protective lipid and glucose profile, as well as a decrease in cardiovascular and metabolic risk."

Hence, women with bigger butts, are more protected from chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. They also show lower levels of cholesterol and increased production of hormones metabolising sugar. Their children too enjoy good health.

"If you're going to have fat, you're definitely better off if you've got some fat in the lower body," Dr. Michael Jensen, director of endocrine research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. told ABC. "If you look at people who have primarily the pear shape, they're healthy in all the ways that this fat behaves. It's not just fewer heart attacks or less diabetes, it's all these ways we think about fat as an important organ for our health."

Being fat in the thigh and buttocks increases the deposits of Omega-3 fatty acids and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which help in the fetal brain development. "The fat in these areas is a depot for building a baby's brain," Will Lassek, a professor at the University of Pittsburg, told News Corp Australia. "You need lots of fat to make a nervous system and the fats in these areas are also enriched in DHA, which is a particularly important component in the human brain. It looks as if women have evolved to accumulate these fats and hold on to them - until a baby arrives."

Even fat for breastmilk is drawn from the thighs, according to Science Times. It helps to reduce the weight in these areas too.

A comment by the Chicago Tribune  is illuminating. "Your typical runway model, with a 24-inch waist and 34-inch hips, has a waist-hip ratio of .71. Your average size 10, with a 28-inch waist and 39-inch hips, is a .72. Jennifer Lopez, at 26 and 39, is a .67."